IT'S impossible not to be carried away by Holly Holyoake's extraordinary voice.

The sound is priceless, she doesn't let its emotions swarm and her phrasing is instinctive. Best of all, she refuses to preen in front of the mirror - which makes her CD, When Dreams Have Wings, more interesting than Charlotte Church's first efforts.

But there's the rub. Are her supporters seeking to turn her into a teenage wonder girl or will she take on the graft of going through college?

They must make that decision now. The example of Aled Jones is instructive - a teenage prodigy who ended up as a TV programme host, his voice, albeit broken, snaffled in the night.

I'd prefer to see Holly, pictured, in the opera house and concert hall ten years hence rather than dealing with the residue of early but short-lived exposure, lucrative or not. Meanwhile, enjoy the CD. It offers 12 examples of how far she has closed the gap between promise and achievement.

Most, like Malotte's arrangement of the Lord's Prayer (a male voice choir warhorse), are slow-tempo pieces, which allow her voice to exhale both sweetly and powerfully. Massenet's Elegy is nicely done.

The orchestral arrangements are sympathetic and indicative of how Holly is being carefully nurtured, partly by that wonderful vocal coach, Irene Livingstone.

On the CD sleeve, Gustav Holst is spelled Gustar Holtz. A small point, but it's worth getting details right everywhere, if only because this young performer deserves the best sort of guidance and promotion.

l When Dreams Have Wings (Holyoake Productions, HRH 1) is released today at £9.99. It is available at HMV Newport or from www.hollyholyoake.com

Nigel Jarrett